Deep Waters
by Deepseasquid
Summary: Following a mission where things went wrong and lives were lost, the agents went their separate ways. When Callie and Marie have a strange encounter, they are forced to call back the agents, who all carry some of the blame. But will they want to come back to work? find out as they journey to uncover this new mystery, and once again, save the citizens of Inkopolis.
1. Prologue

A lone news van lumbered through the streets of Inkopolis. To any observing inkling or octoling, they would have not even given it a second thought. It was like any other vehicle on the road. No more, no less. But inside it was a whole other story. Reinforced steel walls with a high-powered transceiver on the roof connected to a full heads up display system, capable of hacking into any security camera in the city unnoticed. Its engine had been finely tuned to be able to carry its extra weight. Able to travel at around 290km an hour and accelerate 0-100km in 3.4s. All topped of with tinted windows and a custom paint job that was both stylish and functional, a slick ink resistant finish.

Inside the van were six of the most secretive and powerful cephalopods in the city. The Agents of the New Squidbeak Splatoon.

* * *

"Alright, you have the floor Sheldon." Said Agent Two as she finished giving the three younger agents the low down on the situation.

Another bomb team had been located raiding an office building in the Flounder Heights district. The same bombers had been responsible for numerous threats before, but only recently had they actually been able to carry through with their threats thanks to an external party.

"Thank you Agent Two. Now, I have done a preliminary scan of the building in question and have located the strongest heat signature on the 13th floor. We know from the past two bombings that the explosives being used contain sanitized ink, which we all know radiates significantly more heat than normal ink."

"Right," interjected Three. "And agent Two, you said you've spoken to the police commissioner and told them not to storm the building immediately, right?"

"Yes, One and I have spoken to him. He was quite relived given last time he lost over half his strike force during the raid."

"Those damn cops. They should have known better than to attack the front door, the bad guys always guard the front." Muttered Four.

The youngest agent was quite upset that the bombers had slipped through their grasp the last time. Her apartment had sustained damage from the blast and she had to find somewhere else to room temporarily. Fortunately, no one was killed or even injured, all thanks to the efforts of the Splatoon.

"Exactly right miss Four." Piped Sheldon, eager to continue his briefing. "From the past few incidents, we have learned that they always guard the main entrance and seldom check up on side or rear doors, Which is why I have located a fire exit on the east side of the building. This will be your entrance. If I'm correct, this door will unfortunately only be open-able from the inside so you, Eight, will have to blow it open."

"Now remember! That doesn't mean that this time they won't have men on the inside guarding the door, so be on you toes." Said Two, bringing it back as the agents readied their gear.

"Yes, I've detected 17 bombers on the inside using my ghost echolocator." Said Sheldon, gesturing to the highly modified, highly illegal, outdated special which sat in the back of the van.

"And there may be more. We don't know if they have cold-blooded gear on them, so stay sharp."

* * *

"Almost there." called Agent One from the cab of the van. The sirens of police vehicles could be heard from within the plated walls.

"Okay, good luck agents, I'll be in touch the entire time." Said Two as she and Sheldon turned to the control panel that blanketed far side of the van.

The three agents waited in the van until everyone's attention was draw away. Being secret agents, they still couldn't risk being spotted by ordinarily civilians. Heck, even most of the police force didn't know who they were! Fortunately, they didn't have to wait long as many of the citizens were in a panic. Running to and fro as the police attempted to set up a perimeter. Amidst the confusion they slunk out, quickly crossing the street. Their weapons concealed; they made their way to the around the building.

The police in Inkopolis were actually quite inept at their jobs, although this may be attributed to the agents, as they kept the city relatively clean of big scale crime. They had not yet formed a complete lock on the building and the team easily got past the perimeter. The three agents found the fire exit Sheldon had recommended and hid behind some discarded boxes and trash bins.

"Alright Eight, You're up." Whispered Three. Eight unclipped his ink tank and withdrew one of the auxiliary canisters. He set to work wiring the canister to the door. Being an octarian, he was quite good with mechanics and was usually the one responsible for field technology work. He had leaned a lot from Sheldon and within minutes he had the door ready to go.

"Okay! Got it. On your mark Three." Said Eight, as he uncoiled the fuse and lead it towards the other hiding spot.

"Good work. Four, ready your dualies." Said Three as Four prepared her weapons. "Maneuver in and take out everyone before they can raise an alarm. I'll follow and Eight, you bring up the rear. Now lets go!"

Eight pushed the detonator and the door hinges were blown apart. Four charged from behind the bins and kicked the door in, surprising a guard. She had him incapacitated in seconds and splatted another nearby bomber. Three followed with his Hero shot MK 1 and splatted another guard. Eight entered with his splattling raised but lowered it when no one else came running.

"Okay, follow me, we'll take the rear stairwell. Eight, you go first this time, I want that extra firepower in the front. Four, watch our six. Lets move!"

The Three agents stormed up the stairs. They encountered little resistance for the first few floors, those who did try and stop them were quickly mowed down by Eight's hero splattling.

"How are things going Three? What floor are you on?" Asked Two over the headset.

"Smoothly so far. Minimal resistance. We're just passing the 7th floor right n-"

THWIP

A charger's ink stream just whizzed by Three's head.

"Squit, I think they're on to us Two" said Three as he dashed forwards and swept out the inklings legs.

"Boss! We have troub-" the bomber's call into his radio were swiftly silence with a shot from Three's gun.

"Three! This way" called Four as she ran up the stairs.

They made it to the 12th floor before the stairs got blocked. A sinister looking inkling dropped a splash wall down in front of the stairs blocking the way.

"Now where?" asked Eight. As the bomber dropped another one, attempting to keep them out.

"Two! The stairs are blocked, how do we get to the 13th floor."

"On the other side, take the west stairs, but be careful. There are a lot of baddies on this floor." Just as Two finished her sentence an inkling and an octoling came running around the corner, weapons raised. Four dodge rolled forward and splatted one before bringing the butt of her weapon to the back of the others head. She triggered the dodge role function again and the exhaust from the gun launched the octoling forward, getting clothes-lined by Eight who swung his splatting's barrel into his face.

"And hurry!" chimed Sheldon. "The heat signature has dramatically increased. They're arming the bomb!"

"All right, lets go agents!"

The team fought their way to the west stairs. splatting and disabling the villainous intruders along the way. When they arrived the remaining bombers they hadn't splatted where making their way to the roof.

"They're evacuating! That means the bomb is activated." Said Four as she ran and kicked one of the Inklings attempting to flee down the stairs. A helicopter could be heard above. Three stuck his head out a window and peered up into the sky.

"Two! Track the copter! Bring it down if you have to. Try and get the cops on it or something!"

"Way ahead of you…" another set of rotor blade could be heard now.

"Alright guys leave them. Lets find this bomb!" called Three to his fellow agents as they sprinted up the last flight of stairs.

* * *

Five…

The mechanical voice echoed throughout the building. The agents had found the bomb under a desk in the managers office. It was crudely made, with a common alarm clock as the timer and a torn off P.A. system for the speaker. However, the canister of sanitized ink attached to it was something all on it's own. It was encased in high-grade steel and ink proof glass. It was obvious that the canister had been supplied to the bomber from an outside source. A faded logo once was prominently displayed in the corner of the cylinder but it had been scratched out to the point it was unrecognizable.

Agent Three spoke into his headset "Located explosive. Attempting to disarm it Agent Two."

"Copy that Three." Echoed the senior agent's voice.

Four…

"Eight get over here! disarm it now!" roared Three.

Eight began furiously cutting and splicing different wires together, but it became apparent that even the tech savvy octarian was going to have trouble with this one.

Three…

"Four!" Shouted three, "Quick open that window, we might need to chuck it!" Four sprinted over and smashed the window. The office building they were in now was near the ocean and they had a clear drop off into the deep cold water below.

Two…

"I can't, not enough time." Shouted Eight. Three quickly yelled at Four to get rid of it. Four ran towards the window and with all her might, hurled it out the into the air. It sailed for a moment before landing in the water with a plop.

One…

The sea erupted.

Twenty civilians were injured, Seven building sustained critical damage, Twelve cars were overturned. One inkling was killed.

* * *

. . . .

**So I added a prologue to help set up the mission which lead to the big split. Some people were wondering about what really happened and I felt that this section adds to the story as well as set the style in which I imagined the Splatoon would be like. I Tried to keep it as clean of errors as possible but I'm not perfect. **** Hope you enjoyed.**

**\- Au revoir**


	2. Chapter 1

18 months after the bomb

* * *

Agents One and Two were running across the rooftops of the Arowana district. The two were decked out in full hero gear with their signature Mk 1 hero roller and hero charger firmly in their grasps. Down below an inkling in a dark coat and hat sprinted through the deserted streets. The two agents had been following up on an armed robbery of a nearby electronics store and had found this strange inkling at the scene. He had run off before they had gotten a good look and the two were now in hot pursuit. The inkling ducked into a dark alleyway and the original agents dropped down from the rooftops, blocking the only exit. Both agents removed the safety lock on their weapons and they became fully lethal. Glowing an ominous red instead of the usual blue.

The two nodded at each other before slowly advancing into the dimly lit passage. The faint glow of their weapons and headsets illuminating a silhouette in front of them. Abruptly the twilight was pierced by a single ray of light, blinding them temporarily. An engine roared to life.

"Two!" yelled Agent One, tackling her cousin to the ground as the inkling screamed past them on a small motorcycle. Two quickly turned and fired her charger at the bike with pinpoint accuracy, blowing it's tire and causing it to spin out. It hit a wall and it's rider was flung from the vehicle.

The inkling groggily got to his feat and drew his splattershot, firing wildly as One charged. With grace and finesse, Agent One glided towards the criminal, avoiding every shot before landing a quick bicycle kick to the assailant's jaw, knocking him on his back before pinning him to the ground with her roller. The inkling snarled and squirmed in a bestial fashion; eyes crazed. One was shocked looking down at the inkling beneath her roller. The Inkling seized this moment of hesitation and squirmed free, losing a massive chunk of flesh and ink as he scraped himself out from between the pavement and the weapon. He got only a few steps before his head was blown off by Agent Two's charger.

They both slowly approached the ink puddle of the crazed squid and their eyes widened at what they saw. It was a of a much thicker consistency than normal ink and pulsated a sickly green. It radiated heat.

"Its time. You know that we can't put it off any longer. This time we need the full team. Just call them Callie."

"Codammit Marie! Don't you understand! I've already tried. They don't answer. They won't answer."

"Then we're going to go get them. It's too important this time. They've had a long enough break."

"How would we even know where to find them. We never really knew their addresses in the first place."

"You're right. But… I did happen to have Sheldon put trackers in Four's headset. Ya know, in case she decided to bail on me when I first recruited her."

"Marie! Sometimes I can't believe you..." smiled Callie

"One last mission." said Marie standing up from the puddle.

* * *

Two figures approached a secluded café tucked away in a side street off Angler road. It was a quaint little establishment. Painted a dull red which at its peak would have been a brilliant crimson. The evening light glinted off the old glass that covered most of the front facade, which had become fogged up from years of grime and dust. A few neglected planter boxes hung from the rusting metal awning which at one point was clothed by a striped tarp. Above read an old neon sign spelling out the name of the eatery. Café Morelle.

Ding dong chimed the little bell that hung above the door, alerting the staff that a customer had entered the café. At the moment, only one employee was working. She had green eyes and her yellow hair was cropped short. A muted yellow jacket, which at one point would have been a blinding neon yellow-green, was unzipped over a plain black tee. On her head she wore an open top cap with the café's name on the brim.

"Sorry, we're closed." she said, turning around from wiping down a table. She dropped the spray bottle and cloth when she saw who had come through the door.

"Hey Four"

"Callie? Marie? What are you guys doing here?! How did you guys find me?!"

Before the flabbergasted inkling could get any further Marie cut her off. "Look Four, please, calm down. We need your help. And I know that we are still probably the last squids you want to see after the last mission, but there was nothing to be done. Yes, you threw the bomb. But if you hadn't many more would have been killed."

Four looked a bit apprehensive, but she finally gave in.

"No, its okay guys. Its just, I'm surprised to see you here is all. I was under the impression that it may be the best thing if I just stayed away from all… you know. I wasn't trying to avoid you two personally. I just didn't want to get involved in any more agent work." she said with a sad smile. "Come on, we can talk upstairs in my room, follow me."

The three inklings made there way to the back of the café towards a set of stairs. They ascended without a word and came into Four's apartment. It was a bit cluttered and had a low ceiling. A small bed lay off to the far side with the hero headset containing the tracker lying on the windowsill next to it.

"I know it isn't much, but the manager was kind enough to let me live here in exchange for work, so its all I can really expect. Please, take a seat." said Four as she gestured to an old couch. She herself pulled a chair away from the small desk facing opposite the couch and plopped herself down as the two icons took their seats.

"Listen Four, we know that you three blame yourselves for what happened, and we all carry some blame. But you have to know it wasn't your fault. Any of your guys' fault." began Callie. "You have to snap out this melancholy. Its not healthy."

"When I first met you, you could barely contain your eagerness, bouncing up and down, making jokes, playing pranks." added Marie. "What happened girl?"

"Thanks guys." chuckled Four quietly. "Thanks for caring. No, you guys are right. I don't pretend like there was anything different I could have done. I can only imagine what you guys went through with how selfish we've all been abandoning the Splatoon."

"Actually Four, that's why we're here. Something has resurfaced."

* * *

"Okay. I'll do it. For the Splatoon." stated Four, some of her old personality seeping back. "I can't just wallow around forever, its time I get back in action. I've never been… down below. But I've heard stories. I will help you in whatever way I can."

"Great! That's one member back on board. We're beginning to have a team. Say Four, do you happen to know where Eight and Three are?" questioned Callie. "I don't think Marie has trackers for those two."

"Huh?"

"Nothing!" quickly exclaimed Marie, clamping her hand over Callie's mouth. "Do you know where Three and Eight are?"

Callie squirmed under Marie's grip while she smiled nervously. Four squinted suspiciously before shaking her head and responding.

"I don't know where Three is. He's gone off my radar entirely. But I've kept in contact with Eight. He and I even hang out. He was formerly a soldier and knows how to deal with death so I kinda doubt the actual bombing was what made him desert. I think he's actually just scared of facing you."

"Scared of us?" asked Callie, as the group made their way down stairs towards the squid sisters' car parked outside.

"Lets just say he's told me what his army days were like. And he has a reason to fear his commanding officers when he fails." Said Four darkly as they climbed into the vehicle.

"Here, put these on" said Four handing Callie and Marie each a hat and mask to disguise their appearances as they began driving. "You remember how quiet and cautious Eight used to be when we first met him. Well he's changed a bit."

"Changed how?" asked Callie as she donned the mask and hat.

"Well he's still that same stoic octoling from before but... Lets just say, his hobbies are rather extravagant, and not entirely legal." ended four ominously.

* * *

The three inklings had driven for about twenty minutes towards the mountains and had stopped halfway up at a small car park. Streetlamps cast a pale orange glow along the street and shadows beyond the luminescent bulbs seemed to lurk from the foliage that adjourned the pass. They trudged up for a few minutes until they came to a corner with a few other inklings and octolings leaning on the guardrail. They looked kinda sketchy. Couple that with the fact that they were out at night and it was enough to put the squid sisters on edge. Four meanwhile, approached them confidently and greeted them like old friends.

"Aye! Marcus my man. Is it on? How far are they?"

"Yo my girl, how you been?" replied who appeared to be Marcus. "They just started."

Callie and Marie exchanged confused glances, as Four walked back towards them.

"Now what?" Asked Callie, "Where is Eight?"

"Just wait," replied Four as she leaned against the guardrail.

The two cousins settled in beside Four puzzled as to what was happening. Not long after could a faint sound be heard in the wind. A whine that carried down the mountain to the ears of the inkling trio. The sound was becoming louder and more defined. Soon it became apparent to the squid sisters what was going on as headlights could been seen up on a higher portion of the mountain.

"He isn't… is he?" asked a confused Callie.

The squeal of tires echoed down the mountains as the vehicles drew nearer. It wasn't long before two cars could be seen up the road from where they stood. Driving at intense speeds the two vehicles in a scream of rubber on asphalt barreled down the road. One was a yellow Aqazda Rx-7, and the other was a black Sea80. The corner the three agents were at was a double hairpin. The one car seemed to sensibly slow down, where the other kept up speed.

"He must be mad!" screamed Callie "He's going to hit the guardrail!"

Four was impassive while the car showed no sign of slowing down.

"I knew it! He's going too fast! There's no more room to slow down!"

The Octoling behind the wheel was of slim build, with dark red eyes and had a single red tentacle drooped down over his head. A mask concealed his face and he had a hat lying on the passenger seat which he had cast aside for the time being he used to conceal his tentacles. His knuckles were white as he gripped the steering wheel, shifting gears furiously. His engine revved past 3000 RPMs and the octoling could fell his whole car lurch as the turbo lag occurred. He was now right behind his opponent who had started ahead of him and had held his position. Fortunately, he was racing on his home pass and he knew exactly where he would overtake his opponent. A double hairpin just up ahead, he could see the turn just now.

Eight's grip tightened as he approached the turn, quickly jerking the wheel entering over steer. He would have crashed if he were a less experienced driver. But the over steering caused the weight to shift and he drifted flawlessly through the turn, his rear bumper just centimeters from the guardrail.

"What the shell!" exclaimed Callie and Marie in unison. A smile ghosted Four's face as she saw the shocked expression on the pop duo's faces.

"C'mon you guys." said Four gesturing back to the car "We can meet him at the top, he'll likely drive back up to see if there is anyone else to battle against."

The two dumbfounded Squid sister climbed back into the car and headed to the top. The park at the peak was mostly deserted, a few cars and their owners were talking and paid no mind to the trio. Not long after did the two cars from earlier pull back up into the lot. The driver of the RX that had been overtaken got out of his car to go talk with the others. The guy finally broke away from the group and walked back to the other Sea80, he held out a large pouch of coins and dropped it into the driver's palm.

Four began to walk towards the Sea80, the cousins a few steps behind. Eight finally got out of the car when he saw the yellow tentacled girl approach.

"Four? What brings you here?" said Eight casually. "I was under the impression that our next rendezvous was tomorrow at 7:00 for…" Eight dropped off as he saw who was standing behind Four. His hand began twitching and he clenched his fist. Not out of anger, but out of fear. He tried as calmly as he could to open the door of his car and climb back in.

"No wait!" cried Four, throwing herself through the window. "Eight listen, they just want to talk."

After a while Four was able to drag Eight back out and she took his keys in case he tried to make a break for it. Being an octoling, and a quiet one at that, Eight one of the hardest people other than Octavio that Agents One and Two had ever attempted to read. He was usually quite professional and could keep a straight face when needed. But they both could tell he was terrified.

"So, how have you been keeping Eight?" started Callie nervously, attempting to break the ice.

"I've been well thank you." Eight responded flatly, not giving much to go off with.

"That's good. Heh. So, you like racing cars now?" ventured Callie, looking for an easy way out.

Marie foresaw that this careful dance of words was going nowhere and decided to just get on with it.

"Eight, we need to talk. The Splatoon is in-"

"Please! Forgive me, I couldn't disarm it! Please, forgive me, forgive me…" burst Eight, dropping to his knees. His hands were still trembling in fear.

"Eight, Eight, EIGHT!" shouted Marie. "It wasn't your fault. We don't blame you, none of us do. We aren't even here to talk about the bomb."

Callie stooped down and helped the octoling to his feet.

"It's okay Eight, whatever you think you did wrong, you didn't, and there won't be any repercussions. Please, just take a deep breath. Its about something else." She was then tackled by Eight in a ferocious hug.

"I'm sorry I left. I couldn't bear the thought of facing you guys. I thought you might execute me for my failure. I was assigned with the task of diffusing the bomb and i was unable to do so."

"What!?" Gasped the idol inklings in shock.

"Yes, standard military procedure." sniffled Eight.

"Well Eight, you should know by now that we don't always follow procedure, and we are no Octarian army."

Another couple minutes passed of Eight sniffling before he finally calmed down.

"Thanks guys" said Eight, the last of his tears stopping. "Sorry I tried to run."

"Ha! That's okay, we would have caught you anyway." Chuckled Four playfully knocking her hips against his. Eight swayed back and raised his eyebrow.

"Catch Me? In That?" said Eight, puzzlement evident in his voice as he pointed to the Squid sisters car. "No offence, Four, that car is of insufficient modifications and tuning to compete with my car."

Four rolled her eyes and tossed Eight's keys back to him. "Marie, can I borrow your keys for a second?" she said with the most fake innocent smile that Marie had ever seen on the sly inklings face.

"Whoa now hold on. First Eight, we need to talk. Its about…"

"C'mon Marieeee. Don't kill the mood, we can talk back at the café, it's getting late and Eight just insulted your car. We can talk about it in the morning. I have a couple extra mattresses that I can lay out for you guys." whined Four.

"I did no such thing. I was mealy pointing out the obvious flaws with you previous claim, Four." Said Eight, clearly back to his regular self.

"Ya Marie! It'll be fun!" said Callie, who was just happy that her friends were acting like their old selves again. "The mission can wait!"

"But this is illegal! Aren't you worried that the cops will catch you." protested Marie.

"I am not" began Eight. "The cops honestly do not care much about the races that go on around here. We are pretty organized and everyone knows when to steer clear of the pass. It is all very safe for bystanders so the police allow it. I know of three who even spectate."

"Fine… Here Four" said Marie in a resigned voice handing the young agent her keys, although her trademark smirk ghosted her face. She was secretly impressed at how much Eight had managed to come out of his shell. She could remember a time where the octoling agent would not even eat out as not to be seen in public. Now he was racing up the side of mountains! Maybe this time among other tech heads had done him good. Even if he was still a bit stiff.

"Yes!" cried Callie, pumping her fist. "I'll go with Eight, you go with Four."

"Okay, I'll see you at the café Four" said Eight with a polite smile, that came off as both respectful and taunting. "Come Callie"

Eight and Callie got into the black Sea80. Four and Marie followed suit, but with Marie's car. They lined up at the top of the pass. One of Eights racing friends started the countdown

"10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, go!"

A squeal of tires and the they shot of like arrows from a bow.

* * *

"Ha Ha HA! we OWNED you guys, that was awesome Eight! You have to promise me to take me for more rides. That was so much fun!" screamed an ecstatic Callie, who bounded through the door of Café Morelle with Eight following.

"Fun?!" cried a ghost white Marie, who came in next. "That was terrifying!"

"Oh lighten up Marie" said Four, it wasn't that bad. "Besides, if you weren't screaming in my ear to slow down the entire time we might have won."

"Excuses." said Eight with a small smirk.

"What did you say punk?!" said Four walking over to Eight. She swung at him, but he dodged and grabbed her wrist. She stumbled and fell into his arms. They stared into each others' eyes until Callie quickly piped up.

"You guys aren't seeing each other are you?" asked Callie with a confused look.

"What?! No?!" cried Four quickly, standing up. She started stuttering various denials while trying to avoid making eye contact him. Marie just smirked before asking Four to go and arrange sleeping bags.

"But we see each other at least five times a week..." quietly uttered a confused Eight.

Finally they were all settled in. Before drifting of asleep Callie turned to Marie on the floor and whispered to her. "This is going better than I expected. We might actually have a chance if we can get the rest of them back."

"Don't worry, we'll get them back. All of them."

* * *

. . . .

**Once again, I am blind as a bat so I'v gone over the chapter once again fixing errors and plot points I missed before. I Really appreciate the effort people go to to help me improve my story. I am sure that I will make many more mistakes so please bear with me. Some plot changes include a general overhaul to Eight's personality as well as a few more fixes here and there to help with the flow. Thanks for reading**

**\- Au revoir**


	3. Chapter 2

Marie awoke to the aroma of freshly brewed coffee. It wafted up through the floor boards and enveloped the apartment. She sat up took a quick glance around the room. Four and Eight were nowhere to be seen. Marie leaned over and tried to shake Callie awake, who had never been much of a morning person, but it was of no use so Marie just left her to the land of nod and crept quietly down the stairs.

Eight had changed from last night. He was wearing an Annaki flannel hoodie and a pair of white reading glasses were perched on the bridge of his nose as he quietly sipped his coffee and read an old newsprint. Four was brewing another cup and was no longer wearing her old agent hoodie. Instead she just wore a loose white and green striped shirt and had her hair tied up neatly. Without a word Marie took a seat next to Eight and Four slid a mug over to her. It was a strange feeling for her. Not one she had felt in a long time. It was just so normal. Sitting quietly at a café, drinking warm coffee, not mobbed by fans. The fresh morning sunlight filtering through the grimy windows simply elevated the experience, and most importantly her friends were with her. It was just so peaceful.

The silence was interrupted by the sound of the bell at the front door singing its tune.

A small jellyfish came through the door. He wore a little bow tie over a pressed white shirt and spoke with a gruff voice. "Aria! – oh, we've already got customers. Thought you were sleeping in. Good to see you Enza, I hope you weren't distracting my employee here were you?"

"No sir." chuckled Eight, "I was just getting a head start on the day with my friends."

"Good, good…" muttered the jellyfish as he hobbled over to the back room. "But remember, no funny business between you. This is a place of business." Growled the Jelly from behind the swinging doors, still mumbling as he retreated. "Not like last time..."

Marie watched puzzled as the old jelly slunk away into the back room. Her thought of peace and contentment replaced by the numerous questions whirring across her brain. Who was this jelly? How did he know Eight? What funny business? Why did he sound so grumpy? She wanted to know the answer to them all but decided that the best course of action would be to ask the most pressing first. "Wait. What were your guys' names?"

"Oh! Right! I guess that our agent names have become somewhat synonymous with us as nicknames. We haven't actually introduced ourselves properly have we? Well I'm Aria." Said the yellow headed inkling. "Pleased to officially meet you Agent Two."

"My name is Enza. At least, this is the name I have adopted as of late. My amnesia has still not revealed everything about my past to me and even Octavio could not find my former record." spoke the octoling, glancing up from his newspaper.

"Huh, Aria and Enza." whispered Marie, rolling the names over in her mind. She wondered what Three's name actually was now. She felt bad for never asking her coworkers, people she had spent years working with, the simplest question of what their names were.

"I cannot believe that after all these years never once did I ask for you names." Marie now vocalizing her inner thought. "I feel kinda bad guys, I'm sorry." said Marie apologetically. "You guys don't know Three's name by any chance do you?"

"Sorry Marie, we only learned each other's names recently, I never thought to ask." replied Four.

"So what was that Jelly implying earlier between the two of you, Hmm?" Continued Marie slyly, not going to pass the chance to tease the younger agents. "How long have you been seeing each other? You know it is heresy for fellow employees to be in a relationship." smirked Marie.

Eight, or now Enza opened his mouth to reply. "Actually Aria and I have been-" his beak was clamped shut by Aria's hand mid sentence who lurched over the counter to stop him from replying.

"Never mind that Marie! we are, uh, just…" she was fortunately saved by the presence of Callie noisily stumbling down the stairs.

"Hey guys…" she muttered sleepily. She staggered over to the bar and took the Marie's coffee cup without realizing and began drinking.

"Callie… Callie… CALLIE!" shouted Marie as the dark tentacled girl almost fell back off the stool for tipping her head back so far, attempting to consume all of the dark liquid which once inhabited the cup.

"Yeah…"

"Callie, meet Aria and Enza" said Marie gesturing to her fellow agents.

"Hey guys, said Callie, taking another mug that had been laid out for her." A few moments past before the information slowly seeped into Callie's brain. "What! You guys have actual names!"

Everyone just began laughing. An angry yell and then a crash could be heard from the back room.

"Aria! get your butt back here and help me straighten out these shelves. What kind of imbecile..." the jelly's grumpy voice becoming muffled as he moved deeper into the back room.

"I should go help my boss. He always has trouble reaching the beans on the top shelf." sighed Aria, standing up to leave. "Why don't you fill Enza here in on some of the details."

"Alright Enza. Lets get you up to speed." Began Marie.

* * *

"I'm in." muttered the octoling agent, once again clenching his fist as a method of containing his emotions. "This is something I cannot allow. I will help you regardless of the circumstances. I will inform Pearl and Marina immediately of the situation, they may also wish to know. Excuse me." Eight stood up and stepped outside.

"Wow, he's pretty upset isn't he." mused Callie. "I hope he'll be alright."

"Understandable given his past."

"Don't worry, he can handle it" Reassured Aria who had returned from the back room.

"I think you're right Four. He will. Now we just need to find Three. Any ideas on where to look?" asked Callie

"As a matter of fact, I remember him telling me about how he was thinking of applying to Grizzco Industries a while back as a way to pick up a little extra cash. Might be a start" said Four

"Yes, I remember him telling me the same thing, although I strongly advised him against it." said Marie pinching her nose.

"But now that he hasn't been working as an agent he might have gone to Grizzco anyways. This isn't looking good." continued Callie.

"I don't get it, why are you both so worried?" asked the younger agent.

"Listen Aria, Grizzco is not a company to be messed with." said Callie quietly.

"Huh? What's wrong with it? I've worked a couple shifts for them. It pretty disgusting but its nothing Three can't handle. He's tough as nails."

"Okay, where to begin." Sighed Marie. "As you know, Grizzco industries is a salmonid containment and power egg collecting company that provides an alternative source of energy to supplement the Great Zapfish. however, the lesser know fact is that Grizzco Industries has a monopoly on our energy source, and the boss Mr. Grizz is not someone to be messed with. He is one of the most influential inklings on the continent, he in a sense owns half the city."

"Huh? I don't get it, he's just the talking bear radio thing right. I thought he was just some weird old dude trying to run a seedy business to make a quick buck."

Both senior agents face palmed at hearing this.

"For crying out loud Four! Mr. Grizz is the closest thing this city will ever have to a mob boss! He owns the docks, the clubs, the bars. He's almost as powerful as the mayor and has half the police force under this thumb. The radio is just pre-recorded messages. Callie and I have dealt with his lackeys a couple times and just a couple months ago we were forced to shut down one of his racketeering rings. Pearl and Marina were caught up in the scheme and we had to bail them out. He backs them, only because it makes HIM more money. What does it tell you when the current faces of Inkopolis are being extorted by a shady energy corporation."

"Okay, so Mr. Grizz isn't who we thought he was-"

"Who you thought he was."

"Yeah whatever. But its okay right? Grizz only ever talks through his radio, we won't have to meet him, won't we?" said Four, slightly concerned.

"This is what was worrying Marie and I. It's possible that Mr. Grizz or one of his men may come down and oversee some of his shipments when they return to port, especial if its a big haul. Lets just hope that Three isn't very good at salmon run so the boss doesn't show. He isn't overly fond of agents One and Two."

* * *

"You! Take position up there, thin them out with short repeated blasts. The tides are turning but I don't want a counter strike from the rear!" Shouted a dirtied inkling with a faint green scar to his fellow co-worker who had been loaned a rusty heavy splattling.

"Yes sir!" shouted the boy, running over to the position before mowing down some lesser salmonids that tried to breach the gap.

The deep, throaty sound of the boss horn sounded across the sea and Three looked over to his left. He shouted at his remaining two co-workers to intercept the salmonids streaming up for the eastern shore. Missiles rained down kicking up dirt and leaving craters as he shot a scrapper in the back of the head. This was the dreaded hazard level max.

Few Grizzco employees ever reach the level of proficiency for the Boss to even remotely consider them to be allowed to face of against the Salmonids in full modern warfare. Three was one of the few who thrived in it. Steel Eels and Maws, Scrappers and Drizzlers. They all came storming up the beach. Concrete and ink flew everywhere from the crude yet powerful stingers as they sliced through the walls of the spawning grounds. Turf and ink went flying from the devastating explosions of the Steelheads as they charged their saliva filled bombs. Three danced around the toxic salmonid ink before killing the Drizzler, grabbing a golden egg before returning to the basket, slaying a Steel Eel who had trapped his splattling co-worker. He looked at the basket indicator light. 13/28. Still a ways to go.

* * *

It was almost 11:00 when the four agents arrived at the sturgeon shipyard loading area. Thankfully the squid sisters knew which dock Grizzco imported their hauls from and had traveled accordingly. They could see that a boat had just returned, evident from the slime and filth that coated the hull. A large industrial crane was hoisting the basket full of eggs from the boat onto the bed of a flatbed truck.

"There he is!" whispered Eight, pointing to the inkling who was now climbing into the cab of the vehicle. Sure enough it was him. Even with the uniform, the scar reminiscent from the sanitized ink was still visible.

"Okay, you and Four go and talk to Three. Try and act natural. Remember people are only suspicious because they act suspicious." reminded Marie.

The two younger agents snuck out from their hiding spot behind a loading crate and began confidently walking toward the truck. Callie and Marie high-fived each other when the other workers looked up and saw them but continued with their work. It looked like things were going well until the sound of a motor echoed across the docks.

A big dark car just rolled up. It was rugged yet classy, with huge chrome wheels and a glossy black finish. Dirt and grime stuck to the silver bumper and running boards, giving indication as to the places it had been. A large hood ornament of solid silver in the shape of Grizzco's logo crowned the hood.

"Oh squit! Marie! Someone's here! They're going to be seen. We have to do something!" panicked Callie. "Oh no, oh no... Oh! Marie, doesn't that guy look familiar to you?"

A short inkling dressed in a dark pinstriped suit stepped out of the car. He straightened his cuffs before taking a quick look around. He had a hooked nose, almost like a crow's beak, and his tentacles were darker than even Callie's. He took a couple of steps, a faint limp showing in his gait as he walked over to a worker nearby. He looked to be fairly young, maybe in his mid twenties. However, his most defining feature was the horrible scars along his neck. There even appeared to be a few holes in it. He was followed by two burly henchmen.

Fortunately, the inkling who stepped out of the car was not Mr. Grizz. The two agents remembered this guy from a raid they had on some Grizzco warehouses a while back. This inkling standing in front of them used to be just a poorly paid dock hand. During the raid Callie and Marie had split up to cover more ground. As a result, Callie had reached Grizz's lackey first. After an intense fight, the owner of the warehouse had become desperate and attempted to take his own worker hostage. The worker had tried to fight back but ended getting a pummeling from his boss. When Callie had finally dispatched of the owner she helped the inkling to his feet. He looked awful. His nose was messed up and his leg was bent. His throat had been scratched up when he was being held hostage and the membrane covering the neck had been torn is some places. Callie had helped him get away from the other furious worked and it seemed like he had decide to stick with Grizzco even after all that had happened.

"Marie, that isn't Grizz! I actually remember this guy. He was a dock hand at those warehouses we busted a couple years back. Good for him moving up in the world. Hey! He might even remember me. How lucky is that?" exclaimed Callie, perhaps a bit too loudly.

"Hey, did you here something?" came a voice from the maze of shipping containers behind the agents.

"Great..." face palmed Marie.

* * *

"C'mon Three, we need to talk." whined Four, unaware that someone had just pulled up.

"Ahg!" Groaned Three, clearly annoyed. "I already told you. I'm done. After what happened last time. I'm not fit to protect the citizens of Inkopolis."

"Three, it wasn't your fault. You saved more lives than if you had simply done nothing. You've saved my life before; you are the hero of Inkopolis. All heroes have their dark times. It doesn't mean they quit!" pleaded Eight. This had been going on for a few minutes now and Three's initial shock at seeing the two had turned to annoyance. His sarcastic side was beginning to show and he had snapped at the younger agents multiple times.

The senior agent was about to belt out another snarky comment directed at his former coworkers but his response was cut of by a raspy laugh.

"Ah ha ha!" chuckled the inkling in the suit as he walked towards the truck flanked by tow burly workers in suits of lesser quality. "A bountiful haul as usual!" spoke the inkling in a suave tone. His voice wasn't overtly deep, but it still scratched horribly on the ears of the agents. He passed the other agents as he spoke to Three, "I really must thank all. Our Boss will be very pleased with this shipment. Maybe I should talk to the boss about a raise Hmm? Although who am I kidding, he doesn't like spending money right?" He laughed his strange scrapping laugh again. You could see thesome of the flesh moving behind his throat as he did. It was unsettling. Three just laughed nervously with him.

"There were more of them this time. The salmonids are getting bolder. They aren't taking kindly to us unannounced visitors." said Three, trying to keep the inkling's attention as he gestured with his eyes for Four and Eight to leave.

Eight and Four tried to sneak away, this unfortunately did not go unnoticed by the inkling as he turned around.

"Speaking of unannounced visitors, who might you two be? Not thieves I hope." The inkling made a small gesture with his hand and the two henchmen reached out with their long arms grabbed the two agents as they tried to run. They lifted them effortlessly as they futility attempted to squirm away from their iron grasp. He laughed another one of his horrible laughs. Three quickly tried to cover for them.

"No they aren't. They're just my friends. They were asking me if I wanted to go to lunch with them later after my shift."

"You're friends are they? I'm sorry then, but you two are trespassing on private property." He leaned over to them. "That means that you two are going to leave now." rasped the inkling. This set Four off more that it probably should have, but she was already frustrated enough with Three and now this creep was going to kick her out for talking?! Her emotions got the better of her and she spat in the Inklings face.

"Hey ugly! Keep your disgusting throat away from us, you cant just kick us out for talking with our friends." Eight mentally facepalmed, wondering if Four understood the meaning of trespass.

The Inkling paused, his eyes closed. He exhaled deeply then reached into his lapel and procured a handkerchief which he swabbed his face with. "My, my. Feisty one isn't she? Boys, do me a favor and teach this young lady here when she should learn to hold her tongue." Four gulped and wished she had checked her temper.

"Sir! Look what we found." the inkling and his henchmen were interrupted by a voice from behind as they turned and saw Callie and Marie being walked over at gunpoint. They had been spotted and captured by a couple of the workers who had been unloading the boat.

"Well now, these two I haven't see in quite some time. Hello there agents One and Two, pleasure to see you both again." rasped the inkling.

Callie and Marie exchanged worried glances with each other, clearly not expecting such a jovial reply.

"Come now, why the stares. You haven't forgotten me have you? I apologize for this." he gestured to his throat "But you two of all people can understand."

"Of course we do, we just weren't expecting such a warm reply. Please, if you don't mind letting our fellow agents go." Said Callie gesturing to Four and Eight.

"Oh of course, I'm sorry, standard procedure." he said that but made no indication to his henchmen to let the younger agents down. His smile was unsettling.

"We just wanted to talk with our friend Three here." Spoke a frazzled Callie, attempting to be smooth and diffuse the situation.

"Three?" The inkling turned to face Three now. "You're an agent too? I must admit that I'm a bit disappointed now. As much as I respect you Agent One and as much as I am indebted to you, having five agents all at once here is very suspicious. I must call Mr. Grizz now. I don't want to lose my job you see."

"Nice going Cal…"

"Oops…"

"Just hold up!" roared Three, stomping out of the truck. He smacked the radio out of the inklings hand and jabbed a finger at him. "Listen here Raspy Voice, I don't care-"

The smile that plastered Raspy Voice's face vanished in an instant.

In a tremendous show of force that both surprised and terrified both agents and Grizzco employees alike Raspy Voice had lunged at Three, grabbing his throat and slamming his head into the steel of the truck leaving a small imprint in the panel.

"I'm sorry, what did you just call me?"

Three now in a daze foolishly replied "Raspy Voice"

The inkling flinched as he heard those words. "Don't. Call. Me. That." His fingers tightened around Three's neck and ink began seeping from the tears in his throat.

Some idiot worker then decided he would like to contribute his two cents because he then spoke up saving Three inadvertently. "But your voice is raspy sir and your throat is unsettling." Raspy Voice dropped Three and turned to the inkling who was speaking. "I think that it would do you wonders for respect and management if you were to cover it up, maybe get surgery of skin grafts. Also it wouldn't intimidate others as-"

Raspy Voice limped over to the inkling who had spoke. Needless to say he was promptly 'dismissed' from his job with a flash of steel and a merciless thrust.

"You five are coming with me to see the boss." said Raspy Voice as he straightened up, calmly cleaning the ink off his knife in front of his horrified crowd as the body slumped to the ground behind him.

* * *

. . . .

**The obligatory idiot has spoken!**

** Yeah, so I know Raspy Voice isn't technically a character at all, but I thought it would be cool to turn him into a lieutenant of sorts for Mr. Grizz. I was also toying around with an idea as to how Raspy's voice became so, well, raspy. I settled on this torn throat idea because it helps give an intimidation factor to him I think. And I know that his introduction may seem to throw a lot all at once but I'll try to expand on him as the story progresses. In addition we learned the names of the two agents! What could Three's name be, have any ideas?**

**\- Au Revoir**


End file.
